Advocates Say ‘Chaos’ Is Mounting as Counties Implement New SNAP Rules

Preparing for the changes hasn’t been easy. In October, counties were forced to kickstart enforcement of the work rules several months earlier than expected after the Trump administration tried, but ultimately failed, to fast-track the new mandate.

Since then, social service agencies have been scrambling to train their staff on new screening and exemption guidelines, coordinate work and volunteer opportunities, identify and connect with impacted SNAP recipients, and update their tech systems to closely monitor those recipients and track their work hours. And the agencies are not sure how impacted New Yorkers will respond, making it difficult to gauge how many households will continue to receive benefits in the months to come.

Experts predict the work rules could result in over 100,000 New Yorkers losing their SNAP benefits starting in June — likely worsening food insecurity, which has remained at elevated levels statewide since the pandemic.

Meanwhile, advocates are urging agencies to do more to ensure New Yorkers don’t fall through administrative cracks. Diana Ramos, an activist with Urban Justice Center’s Safety Net Project and a SNAP recipient from the Bronx, called the ongoing rollout of the new rules in New York City a “chaos bin.”

Ramos noted that several New Yorkers who should be exempt from the rules, such as those receiving disability benefits or caregivers for dependents with special needs, have gotten compliance notices in error. Her organization is calling on the city’s Human Resources Administration, which oversees SNAP across the five boroughs, to make their notices easier to follow and set up a system for recipients to appeal erroneous “non-compliance” notices.

Earlier this month, several New Yorkers received “first strike” notices for failing to meet the rules for the month of March, but Ramos noted that many were unable to connect with HRA staff in a timely manner and some were directed to an automated phone number that said their cases had been closed.

HRA Administrator Scott French said his agency has opted to send impacted SNAP recipients notices for every month they are not in compliance with the rule. Such notices are not mandated by the federal policy, but French said the agency is issuing them to ensure New Yorkers get ample opportunity to comply.

Raising awareness remains a logistical hurdle. In late February, French told Focus that only a small share of the 119,000 impacted SNAP recipients in New York City had responded to the agency’s proactive outreach efforts. French said that he expects engagement to improve as the agency ramps up its warnings.

Increasing awareness has also been a top priority for Erie County, where 7,500 residents are subject to the new rules. In an email, Peter Anderson, spokesperson for the Erie County executive, said the county has started sending mass text messages to all impacted SNAP recipients on top of regular mail notices.

Still, he said, attendance for orientations the county held to notify SNAP recipients of the changes were “very low,” wrote Anderson. Only about 1,400 residents showed up to the events, which were conducted through February.

In Monroe County, home to Rochester, Denise Read, deputy commissioner for human services, said her agency is struggling to balance the new requirements alongside daily operations. “We don’t have enough staff to manage the regular workload,” she said. “All of these new mandates are a significant strain.”

She worries that despite her agency’s best efforts to connect with impacted SNAP recipients, some will inevitably lose their benefits. “We anticipate June will come and people will try to access their SNAP and realize their cases have been closed,” she said.

The policy shift is the latest in a series of abrupt changes testing the limits of chronically understaffed social service agencies responsible for operating SNAP across the state. Even more changes could be on the way. The Trump administration is trying to restrict SNAP eligibility for thousands of legally present immigrants, including human trafficking victims — a provision currently being challenged in court. Last month, federal officials announced a task force to tackle what they purport to be widespread benefits fraud, pledging to tighten SNAP eligibility even further. (Despite the administration’s claims, documented instances of SNAP fraud by recipients have been rare.)

And later this year, counties will be on the hook for covering a much larger share of the administrative costs for SNAP, which have historically been split evenly between the federal government and states. The New York Association of Counties has raised concerns about the ability of local governments to cover these costs, which could exceed millions annually in some counties.

To minimize fallout from the new work rules, Empire Justice Center recommends counties expand their outreach efforts by partnering with community groups to inform the public about exemptions and make notices as accessible as possible, using bold fonts and clear, easy-to-understand language. But the center notes that what counties are able to do will be limited by resources, and the state is unable to force counties to do more than what’s required under the federal law. The work rules themselves also place the bulk of the administrative burden on SNAP recipients to prove they are meeting their monthly requirement.

“I’m not sure how many people realize what’s going on, it’s very complex and new,” said Elizabeth Woods, an attorney at Empire Justice Center. “People get notices all the time and they may not realize what’s going on.”

Several counties have already been emphasizing exemptions. Staff at Clinton County’s Department of Social Services are conducting lengthier screenings of SNAP recipients to identify potential barriers to consistent employment that may qualify them for exemptions, said Deputy Commissioner Lindsay Mehrman. It’s estimated that 1,500 residents in the rural northeastern county are subject to the new rules.

When screening SNAP clients who are homeless, for instance, her staff asks if they have access to transportation or laundry services to assess whether they could sustain employment. “We really want to make sure if we’re sending these folks to work that they’re truly able-bodied and work-ready,” Mehrman said.

The agency has also hired an additional employee whose primary duty is tracking the 1,500 residents each month. SNAP recipients who are not eligible for an exemption will be directed to OneWorkSource Center, the county’s existing hub for employment and training services.

Monroe County estimates that after exemptions, roughly 5,000 SNAP recipients will be subject to the new rules. To get the word out, the agency has held virtual orientations for SNAP recipients and trained over 500 members from local community organizations to help with outreach.

Some of those groups are also helping the agency host in-person clinics aimed at connecting with harder-to-reach populations. Past clinics have focused on SNAP recipients who are veterans or who are struggling with substance abuse or homelessness. They featured on-site medical providers that conducted screenings and filled out exemption forms for those eligible.

“We’re really trying to saturate the community,” Read said, but noted that the added workload has been difficult to manage. The agency is in the process of hiring at least five temp workers for a team created specifically to address the new work rules.

Outreach may soon become even more difficult. Later this year, federal funding for New York groups that provide SNAP outreach will be slashed in half, threatening to topple the state’s network of community-based navigators that help residents enroll and stay enrolled in SNAP.

Krista Hesdorfer, director of public affairs at Hunger Solutions New York, is urging the state to increase its support for these programs in ongoing state budget negotiations to ensure New Yorkers get access to the help they need at this critical time. “Local SNAP navigators can help families understand the new work rules and submit documentation to maintain their benefits,” she said. “This statewide network of SNAP policy experts provides valuable support to families and social services agencies as the new rules roll out.”

As part of HRA’s efforts to improve compliance, the agency has partnered with over 70 community groups, including the Food Bank For NYC to offer volunteer opportunities that could help impacted SNAP recipients meet their monthly hours. The food bank is also part of the SNAP navigator network.